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Oedipus Rex

Oedipus, the hero in “Oedipus Rex”, functions as an instrument of suffering for others.

His valiant actions betray him against merit and odd. The tragic vision of “Oedipus Rex” is

characterized by the suffering of others at degrees that are not proportional to the degree of

Oedipus’ wrongdoing. Fate seems to be inevitable in influencing the plot of the story. The

actions of Oedipus cause him a lot of suffering. He is the one who causes the Sphinx to go

away when he solves a riddle, thus acting as a savior for the city of Thebes. This makes him a

tragic hero. The chorus suggests that he is a tragic hero: “For who is he—what state is there,

more fortunate than only to seem great, and then, to fall?” (Sophocles 42). The results of

Oedipus’ rage are against justice because his parents end up dying, and he ends up blind after

he “stabbed his eyes; so that from both of them the blood ran down his face, not drop by drop,

but all at once, in a dark shadow of gore” (Sophocles).

The suffering of Oedipus, as well as that of other characters such as Jocasta and Laius,

are an indication of the play’s vision. The impulsive actions of Oedipus cause Laius’ death.

Laius was the King of Thebes and Oedipus’ father, although Oedipus does not know this.

Oedipus describes to Jocasta the circumstances that surrounded the death of Laius saying, “I,

being enraged, strike him who jostled me” (Sophocles). His actions are out of anger and he

carelessly kills Laius and his escort. This is a demonstration of the hamartia of Oedipus,

which is getting easily angered. His speedy indignance caused four men to die, including one
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that influences the course of his life and the lives of other people in the play. This is the

mistake that causes the chain of sufferings that follow. After Laius’ death, Oedipus marries

Jocasta who is, unknowingly, his biological mother. This causes a lot of suffering for both

Oedipus and Jocasta. When Jocasta realizes that the prophecy of the oracle that her son was

going to kill his father and take his mother in marriage, he feels very miserable, and goes on

to commit suicide by hanging herself.

Although the suffering of Oedipus may be the most visible result of thisactions, the

unfortunate temper and melancholy of the play is also contributed to by the suffering of

Jocasta and Laius. Like in all tragedies, the suffering that results from the actions of Oedipus

appear to be disproportional to the mistake made. In this case, a murder that has been caused

by the impulsive nature of Oedipus leads to the destruction of a whole family.

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Work Cited

Sophocles. Oedipus, King of Thebes: A Tragedy. Ams PressInc, 1715.